last week my 1958 ford fairlane's gas tank gave way, its really rusty and finally a small little hole developed in it, and it wouldnt stop leaking. so my grandpa put on some jb weld, then put some screen on there, then another coat of jb weld, that didnt do anything, it still leaked. my dad and i put on another coat today. we dont think its gonna fix it but does anyone know if JB weld doesnt bind well with a gasoline leaking tank?? or does anyone know how to fix the small hole? without getting a new gas tank of course, im short on cash
this is what my car looks like if ur courious, i dont have the pic of the gas tank problem though, sorry
Intro dude.. Read the rules or you'll get run... That said, JB weld isn't for gas tanks.. Go to the parts store and get proper fuel tank patch, it's a stick type epoxy that you mix up and jam in the hole. Then go find a new fuel tank before that one falls apart or the patch falls out. The metal surrounding the patch probably isn't too great either. Shawn
sorry if i didnt read the rules or something, my bad, thanks for your help though anyway, much appreciated
1st, there's "fixall" type stuff just for gas tanks. 2nd, i've rubbed a bar of Ivory soap on the leak and fixed it for months. Kept the bar in the glove for when it start leaking again
I would clean out out the tank and try RED KOTE sealer you can get at o'riely auto parts, creates a line between the tank and the metal, is about the same stuff a radiator shop would use.
For starters, if the tank is really as rusty as you say, buy a new tank or get one that's better off, rustoleum the outside and red kote the inside. It'll save you alot of headaches. But if you're like me, you'd rather just patch the tank until it's almost completely gone.... for this, I recommend SealsAll. You can get it at Walmart for $3 and it's gasoline, water, oil, and heat resistant. I always keep a tube of it in my trunk because it works instantly and has gotten me home a couple times when my radiator sprung a leak. Just don't put it anywhere you wouldn't want it later because it dries so hard you have to do alot of sanding to remove the stuff.
I'd save your pennies and buy a new tank. Last time I priced them they were under $200 for a new steel tank. If that's to much, get it boiled out and reseal it.....then save up for another cause that reseal isn't going to last forever. If there's rust thru in one spot, then there's rust thru in other spots. While you're at it, take a really good look at the sending unit, and fuel lines. Remember, it's just a 15 gallon tank of highly flammable explosive liquid you're carrying around! Welcome to the HAMB. Lots of good stuff here all the time. Are you really 16??
Rough up the area around the hole about 4 inches around and clean it. Use the ivory soap or seal all to stop the leaking gas. When it's stopped leaking clean the area again carefully, so you don't disturb the soap or seal all, then apply a cover patch of JB weld to protect the soap or seal all. Make sure the the JB weld is cured. It's winter time here and most epoxies need around 65 degrees to cure thouroughly. The gas in the tank is colder than the air. The epoxy will cure on the outside but not completely next to the cold tank. It would have to sit in a warm shop for quite a while before it would work up here in ND. If you live where it's warm that would be better. As suggested, carry the stuff with you and look for a better tank. overspray
As Mel mentioned, if the whole tank is extremely rusty buy a new replacement. If it's only a small part of the tank that is rusty and/or leaking you can most likely repair it. However to answer your question, yes, JB Weld can be used for gas tanks. You just need to do lots of prep work. I have tried the epoxy stuff that is supposedly just for gas tanks and, imo, the stuff isn't worth a damn. First off drain the tank. Second, you will need to clean the metal surface to get any rust, under coating, dirt, etc. off the tank...it needs to be bare metal in the area to be fixed. Believe it or not you will need to make the hole where the leak is larger. SLIGHTLY larger. Like, "you can't hardly notice it's any larger", larger. If it's a pin hole size leak I usually use an ice pick to open the hole up a little bit. Make sure the clean surface is dry and mix your JB Weld and apply. Let the tank sit empty for at least three days to ensure that the JB Weld has cured thoroughly. Put a bit of gas in the tank and let it sit for a while to check for any leaks. If nothing is leaking, repaint the tank and you should be good to go.
The Eastwood Company sells a kit to seal a gas tank. It seals the tank with a new plastic coating inside. It's worked for me for almost ten years.
I had the same thing happen on the Thunderbird, no rust just a small puncture. Years ago I JB'ed the floatbown on my lawn tractor, and I sold it years latter still holding. So, I used it on the Rocket over 2 years ago. Its all in the prep. I cleaned it well and sanded w/80 grit for tooth. Mixed a bit of JB Quick and let it nearly harden. I then pushed some in the hole until the leak stopped. I then mixed another batch to cover the first. Still holding, JB has got me home quite a few times. I don't leave home without it
Soap worked reasonably well on my Harley round trip to Strugis. Brazed it when I got home and then used that Eastwood tank sealer. it works. You could POR 15 the outsiude when you are done to give it more material to work with and pretty much stop the rust in it's tracks but after you do all of this you might as well have popped for the $200 replacement unit. Good luck and welcome to HAMB
ANyone who says JB Weld will not hold a gas leak is simply mistaken. It will work and last forever -IF it is applied to clean dry metal and allowed to dry overnite.... I can give you this example,a motorcycle tank thgat was so dented that the entire top was cut off the base. Then the dents hammered out it was re welded together, all the way around the tanks perimeter.... a skim of JB Weld was added over the welds to seal it and no sealer inside tank.....worked flawlessly and for about three years- till I sold the bike..... another "emergency" repair on a leaking tank is [model car glue] on a small peice of rag applied to the leak and held in place a few seconds....it will hold till a decent repair can be done.....
thanks for all the help guys, i appreciate it. to answer that one guy yes i am only 16, 17 in february. and that guy who said jb weld does work... well we let it set for 2 days and nights, we went over there today and it was peeling off of the gas tank, and we dried it up sanded off the rusted area and everything. i went to pep boys today and bought a gas tank epoxy, we're gona try it tomorrow, hopefully it works. but i have another question. should i get a bar of soap like everyone is suggesting, and put that on the whole, then to be extra safe put on this gas tank epoxy. **oh ya and the whole tank isnt rusted, its just really worn out, but it's holding up, its just one area that sprung a tiny little leak
My son put a 3" piece of angle iron through the bottom of his tank. Used a repair kit from NAPA and 120000 miles later, no problems.
POR-15 has a kit for sealing gas tanks from the outside. We did one at the museum on a rare Bentley that was perforated with many pinholes after we power washed the outside. I mean it was like swiss cheese. Used the POR-15 kit and it has worked great now for over 2 years. It has a nice finis to it too. To do the whole tank was about $40.
use the two part repair that will work great ansi permanent.. make the hole a littlle bigger so plug is a larger dia. and it wont fall/shake out... push enuf inside to make a inner plug can be used while fuel runs out of the hole ..stuff works great .. get a couple so next time you wont be standing in a puddle of gas with your finger over it and watching the gas run down to the corner stop sign down the block where some one could flick out a lit cig... i did this while someone ran to get some patch a freaky 15 min wait paperdog
ive used jb weld on gas tanks with no problems. but the area has to be clean and dry. if you are trying to do this repair with the tank on the car you will need to drain the tank if the hole is on the bottom let it dry then apply a coat of jb weld you may need to feather it back and make sure it covers well. you could also check into places that use what is called renu tank the clean seal all holes and are cheaper then a new tank.
ya i'm going to get a bar of soap and put it in my glove box tomorrow. my dad said we'll take off the gas tank and put it on the table and check every inch of it to make sure there isnt any more holes after we peel off the jb weld. and ya we drained out the entire tank, we put a flood light on it for about an hour, it got real hot and dried it up real well. then we used sand paper and sanded the problem area, then we applied the jb weld, 2 days later we checked and it peeled right off. i'll use the epoxy we got at the store today and the bar of soap, see what that does, hopefully that does the trick. here's more pics of my car if anyone's more interested in that: and this is a photoshopped image, i want it to be an olive greenish color with dark red rims w/ white walls: thanks again for the help
Try a sheetmetal screw stuck through a piece of gasket paper.....then cover that once its dried off good with the epoxy or JB weld.
Very good temporary fix is child's "Pla-Do" Don't know how long it will last but have actually used it before and it will last for weeks.
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